The Elon University women’s tennis team topped Georgia Southern University 7-0 March 1 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center, earning its first Southern Conference win of the spring season.

“I thought the girls played well today,” head coach Elizabeth Anderson said.  “We have a lot of things we’re still working on that we will work on over the course of the next few weeks but I think it was a good start to Southern Conference play.

The Phoenix won the doubles point by winning on all three courts.  Senior Frida Jansaker and junior Maria Camara Ruiz needed just 25 minutes to capture an 8-0 win on court No. 2 over sophomore Stephanie Woods and freshman Giulia Riepe. Senior Jordan Johnston and senior Barbora Lazarova followed with an 8-4 win on court No. 2 over seniors Paolo Garrido and Caitlin Kitchen.

Sophomore Taylor Casey and senior Bryn Khoury finished doubles play with an 8-6 victory on court No. 3, defeating sophomore Mary Phillips Smith and junior Jordana Klein.  At the conclusion of doubles play, Elon held a 1-0 lead over the Eagles.

Elon dominated singles play as well, winning five of its six matches in straight sets.  Khoury started things off with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Woods on court No. 4.  Jansaker, who had been battling an abdominal injury in recent matches, won her match against Garrido, 6-1, 6-2, to give the Phoenix a 3-0 lead.  The victory was sealed after Lazarova finished off a 6-3, 6-4 win over freshman Daria Vasekina on court No. 3.

Though the match had been decided, the Phoenix continued its solid play on the remaining courts.  Johnston beat Klein on court No. 1, 7-5, 6-2, to earn her fifth straight singles win.  Casey finished next, topping Phillips Smith, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, on court No. 6.  Freshman Tolley Rice dropped her first set but battled back to defeat Riepe in a third set super tiebreaker, 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8).  Rice’s first set singles loss was the only set lost by the Phoenix on the afternoon.

The win marked Elon’s fifth straight win after starting the season 0-4. The sweep of the Eagles was also the team’s fourth 7-0 sweep in its last five matches.

Jansaker said that the team was excited to start Southern Conference play with a win.

“Conference is all it is,” Jansaker said.  “We are so hungry this year.  We were so close last year and this is our year.  We proved it today and let’s hope we keep it up.”

The match was played in support of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation to raise awareness of pediatric brain tumors.

The Phoenix improved to 5-4 on the season and 1-0 in the Southern Conference.  Elon will play its next two matches outside of the Southern Conference.  First up is a match on the road at 2 p.m. March 6 at East Carolina University.